One of the most prominent figures of early Antarctic exploration
because of his easy manner and the great respect he received
from the men he worked with, because of the paintings and drawings
he made and because he was one of the five men making up Scott's
team that reached the South Pole, but died on the return journey.

Born in Cheltenham, England, the son of a physician, educated
at Cheltenham College and Caius College Cambridge where he read
Zoology before qualifying in medicine at St. George's Hospital
London. Shortly after he qualified as a doctor, Wilson became
ill with tuberculosis, during the long convalescence he practiced
and developed his skills as an artist.

In 1901, Wilson applied to be doctor on Scott's Discovery
Expedition to Antarctica, he was the second doctor to be appointed,
originally because there was to be a landing party separate
from the main expedition - this never happened however and both
doctors stayed with the expedition. He was not fully recovered
from his illness when first appointed, but Scott saw his potential
and took him on as vertebrate zoologist and artist as well as
doctor.

Expeditions, then and now take doctors, but it is expected
that with the high level of fitness of the men, the doctor should
have relatively little to do in the way of medicine, with the
exception of accidents or unforeseen illness, so there is always
a secondary occupation that the doctor can fulfill until such
time that the medical skills are needed. Wilson's specific job
was to deal with the birds and seals that the Expedition came
across and to write the appropriate section for publication
in the report of the expedition.

He made an attempt on the South Pole with Scott and Shackleton
in 1902, they reached the furthest south point at that time,
480 miles from the pole, Shackleton was suffering from scurvy
and unable to pull the sledge, after 93 days and 960 miles,
they managed to struggle back to safety. Shackleton invited
him to join his Nimrod expedition in 1907, but he declined,
partly from loyalty to Scott.

On the Terra Nova Expedition Wilson accompanied Cherry-Garrard
and Bowers on a trip to Cape Crozier to retrieve an emperor
penguin egg during the winter of 1911, famously written about
in Cherry-Garrard's book "The Worst Journey in the World". The
three men endured the coldest temperatures recorded on the expedition,
as low as -57C (-70F) in the dark of the Antarctic night.

Wilson was involved with depot laying in January-March 1911
as preparation for the south pole attempt later in the year.
Starting in November 1911 he accompanied Scott's Polar Party
initially by leading a pony named Nobby pulling a sledge of
supplies and later manhauling as the ponies were killed as they
got nearer the pole, food ran out for them and conditions became
more difficult. He was one of the 5 men who made up the final
South Pole Party, while they made it successfully to the South
Pole on the 17th of January 1912, they all perished on the return
journey. Wilson died in the tent at the last camp with Scott
and Bowers at the age of 39.

"Wilson and Bowers were found in the attitude of sleep,
their sleeping-bags closed over their heads as they would
naturally close them."

A lasting and acclaimed legacy is the collection of water
colour pictures that he made during his two Antarctic expeditions,
E. A. Wilson's
watercolours. There is a statue of him in Cheltenham sculptured
by Scott's widow Kathleen.

"Words must always fail me when
I talk of Bill Wilson. I believe he really is the finest character
I ever met." - Scott

Leaving the 3 degree depot on
the Polar Platueaul to r: Evans, Oates,
Wilson, Scott, picture taken by Bowers

Dr Wilson and pony Nobby Oct
1911

"Uncle Bill" - Edward Wilson

Captain Scott and Dr. Wilson with
the Pony 'Nobby' (1912)

l to r: Forde, Cherry-Garrard
and Wilsonwith a dead leopard seal on a
sled

Wilson drawing the aurora in
the hut

Shackleton, Scott, Wilson
On their South Pole attempt in 1902, they came to withing
480 miles of the pole

The Cape Crozier partyl to
r: Henry Robertson Bowers, Edward Wilson, Apsley Cherry-Garrard.
This journey was what Cherry-Garrard would later write
about in his book "The Worst Journey in the World".

Mealtime while manhauling
l to r Evans, Bowers Wilson, Scott

The South Pole party
l to r: Oates, Bowers, Scott, Wilson, Evans. 18th
of January 1912.

References to Edward Wilson
by Cherry-Garrard in "The Worst Journey in the World"

However much of good I may write of Wilson,
his many friends in England, those who served with him on
the ship or in the hut, and most of all those who had the
good fortune to sledge with him (for it is sledging which
is far the greatest test) will all be dissatisfied, for
I know that I cannot do justice to his value. If you knew
him you could not like him: you simply had to love him.
Bill was of the salt of the earth. If I were asked what
quality it was before others that made him so useful, and
so lovable, I think I should answer that it was because
he never for one moment thought of himself

The first days out from England were spent in such hard
and crowded work that we shook down very quickly. I then
noticed for the first time Wilson's great
gift of tact, and how quick he was to see the small things
which make so much difference.

Certain men already began to stand out. Wilson,
with an apparently inexhaustible stock of knowledge on little
things and big; always ready to give help, and always ready
with sympathy and insight, a tremendous worker, and as unselfish
as possible; a universal adviser.

Wilson was a man of many parts. He was
Scott's right-hand man, he was the expedition's Chief of
the Scientific Staff: he was a doctor of St. George's Hospital,
and a zoologist specializing in vertebrates. His published
work on whales, penguins and seals contained in the Scientific
Report of the Discovery Expedition is still the best available,
and makes excellent reading even to the non-scientist. On
the outward journey of the Terra Nova he was still writing
up his work for the Royal Commission on Grouse Disease,
the published report of which he never lived to see. But
those who knew him best will probably remember Wilson by
his water-colour paintings rather than by any other form
of his many-sided work.

Wilson was not a particularly strong
man. On leaving with the Discovery he was but lately cured
of consumption, yet he went with Scott to his farthest South,
and helped to get Shackleton back alive. Shackleton owed
his life to those two. Wilson was of a
slimmer, more athletic build, a great walker, 5 feet 10Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â½
inches in height, 11 stones in weight, with a chest measurement
of 36 inches. He was an ideal example of my contention,
which I believe can be proved many times over to be a fact,
that it is not strength of body but rather strength of will
which carries a man farthest where mind and body are taxed
at the same time to their utmost limit.

References to Edward Wilson
by Scott in "Scott's Last Expedition"

One sees Wilson busy with pencil and
colour box, rapidly and steadily adding to his portfolio
of charming sketches and at intervals filling the gaps in
his zoological work of Discovery times; withal ready and
willing to give advice and assistance to others at all times;
his sound judgment appreciated and therefore a constant
referee.

After a short experience they found that Wilson,
who had arranged for the greatest quantity of fat, had too
much of it, and C.-G., who had gone for biscuit, had more
than he could eat. A middle course was struck which gave
a general proportion agreeable to all, and at the same time
suited the total quantities of the various articles carried.

Words must always fail me when I talk of Bill
Wilson. I believe he really is the finest character
I ever met - the closer one gets to him the more there is
to admire. Every quality is so solid and dependable; cannot
you imagine how that counts down here? Whatever the matter,
one knows Bill will be sound, shrewdly practical, intensely
loyal and quite unselfish. Add to this a wider knowledge
of persons and things than is at first guessable, a quiet
vein of humour and really consummate tact, and you have
some idea of his values. I think he is the most popular
member of the party, and that is saying much.

I think Wilson, Bowers and I are as
fit as possible under the circumstances.

Wilson has strained a tendon in his
leg; it has given pain all day and is swollen to-night.
Of course, he is full of pluck over it, but I don't like
the idea of such an accident here.

Marching in the afternoon, I kept more to the left, and
closed the mountain till we fell on the stone moraines.
Here Wilson detached himself and made a
collection, whilst we pulled the sledge on.

I don't know what I should do if Wilson
and Bowers weren't so determinedly cheerful over things.

We none of us expected these terribly low temperatures,
and of the rest of us Wilson is feeling
them most; mainly, I fear, from his self-sacrificing devotion
in doctoring Oates' feet. We cannot help each other, each
has enough to do to take care of himself.

I practically ordered Wilson to hand
over the means of ending our troubles to us, so that anyone
of us may know how to do so. Wilson had
no choice between doing so and our ransacking the medicine
case. We have 30 opium tabloids apiece and he is left with
a tube of morphine.

Blizzard bad as ever - Wilson and Bowers
unable to start - to-morrow last chance - no fuel and only
one or two of food left - must be near the end.

To Mrs. E. A. Wilson

My Dear Mrs. Wilson.
If this letter reaches you, Bill and I will have gone out
together. We are very near it now and I should like you
to know how splendid he was at the end - everlastingly cheerful
and ready to sacrifice himself for others, never a word
of blame to me for leading him into this mess. He is not
suffering, luckily, at least only minor discomforts.

His eyes have a comfortable blue look of hope and his
mind is peaceful with the satisfaction of his faith in regarding
himself as part of the great scheme of the Almighty. I can
do no more to comfort you than to tell you that he died
as he lived, a brave, true man - the best of comrades and
staunchest of friends.

My whole heart goes out to
you in pity. Yours,

R. Scott.

Landmarks named after Edward Wilson

Feature Name: Wilson Hills Type: range Latitude:
69°40'S Longitude: 158°30'E
Description: A group of scattered hills,
nunataks and ridges that extend NW-SE for about 70 mi between
Matusevich Glacier and Pryor Glacier. Discovered by Lt. H.L.L.
Pennell, RN, on the Terra Nova in Feb. 1911 during Scott's
last expedition.

Feature Name: Wilson Piedmont Glacier
Type: glacier Latitude: 77°15'S Longitude:
163°10'E Description: A large
piedmont glacier extending from Granite Harbor to Marble Point
on the coast of Victoria Land. Discovered by the British National
Antarctic Expedition, 1901-04, but not named until the British
National Antarctic Expedition, 1910-13.

Feature Name: Cape WilsonType: cape Latitude:
82°14'S Longitude: 163°47'E
Description: A bold, rocky, snow-covered
cape, forming the SE end of the Nash Range and marking the northern
entrance point to Shackleton Inlet on the western edge of the
Ross Ice Shelf. Discovered by Capt. Robert F. Scott, RN, in
December 1902, on his attempted trip to the South Pole. He was
accompanied on this trip by Lt. (later Sir) Ernest H. Shackleton,
RNR, and Dr. Edward A. Wilson.

Key:1 - first winter2 - second winter
iW - first western partyiiW - second western partyN - northern
party

D - depot laying for south pole journeyP - south pole party
C - winter journey to Cape CrozierS - search party for south Pole
partyPo - reached
South Pole

Biographical information- I am concentrating on the Polar experiences of the men
involved. Any further information or pictures visitors may have is gratefully
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- Paul Ward, webmaster.